Deception
by RazielOmega
Summary: UPDATED Siri is working for Krayn, undercover as a Jedi. But where do her loyalties really lie? (A rewritten Jedi Quest) Lotsa Siri angst, some Obi angst...
1. The Realization

Chapter 1 – The Realization  
  
Siri started awake to the sound of knocking.  
  
"Zora," a voice growled at the door. Siri sighed. Krayn. Looking at her clock, she saw it wasn't even four yet.  
  
"Krayn, it's not even dawn yet. What'd you want?"  
  
"One of the overseers is having some problems with a slave. That boy you brought in yesterday." Siri went cold. "That boy" was Anakin Skywalker, Obi- wan Kenobi's padawan.  
  
Obi-wan had been her childhood friend. Though they had often clashed, they had forged a strong friendship. When she had been sent on this mission, to infiltrate her way into Krayn's trust, it had hurt to leave behind her friend. Not to mention her master, Adi Gallia.  
  
When she had staged her fight with Adi, and had pretended to leave the Order, she had thought it would be hard not to act as a Jedi. At first it had been. But as time went on, she found it easier and easier.  
  
The Jedi led a hard life, while slave trading gave her a feeling a power. She made money, lived a good life. For two years, she had been cut off from the Jedi. She had only been able to send them coded messages. She hadn't spoken with any Jedi for so long that it was easy to forget them and live this new life. Until yesterday.  
  
When she had seen Obi-wan and Anakin, a strong feeling of longing had surged through her. She had longed to go back to Temple, to feel safe within its walls. For two years she had been stranded, alone. Seeing Obi- wan had filled her with joy.  
  
But he had looked at her without recognition. Too late she had remembered that she was in disguise. It had hurt that he didn't know her.  
  
But what had hurt more was when he finally recognized her. She had forgotten that she had "left the Order". Obi-wan's eyes had hardened, and held a look of betrayal.  
  
Siri had longed to tell the truth, to feel his acceptance. For two years she had looked forward to rejoining the Jedi. But was this how all of them would feel? Would all of them treat her like a traitor?  
  
To them I am, she told herself. She hardened herself inside, as she had done so many times in the past, pushing out emotion, holding it at bay. Emotion weakens me, she told herself. I must push past that. The Jedi are behind me. They abandoned me. Why do I still ask for acceptance? There is none. The world is unfair and unforgiving. I must accept that. I must move on. The Jedi are my past, and Krayn is my future.  
  
"What about the boy?" Zora answered Krayn. 


	2. The Slave Boy

Chapter 2 - The Slave Boy  
  
The predawn light shining through the tiny windows was hardly enough for Zora to see where she was running, but although she had given up on the Jedi, she still was in touch with the Force. She drew its power through her, delighting in the way it enhanced her senses.  
  
She was running to where Anakin- no, the slave boy- was being held. He had apparently been trying to escape, using the Force to make things fly around the room and hit the overseers. He even managed to knock one out. But luckily, he was a Padawan, so his powers weren't finely tuned. Although, Zora thought uneasily, they were stronger than those of a Padawan his age should be.  
  
Thinking like a Jedi again, Zora? She mocked herself. Those times were past. The slave boy had a strange ability to make objects fly, and that was that. She suppressed her feelings into a small corner of her mind, blocking them out. There was no room for them anymore.  
  
Seeing the door to the boy's "room" which he shared with nineteen other slaves, she shoved it open. She assessed the situation in an eye blink, an old "Jedi trick" that couldn't be forgotten. The beds and single table were strewn about the room, broken and battered. Three overseers struggled to restrain the boy, who, after continuous Force-work, looked exhausted. The other slaves were huddled in a corner, as terrified of the boy as the overseers were. A fourth overseer lay on the floor, a bump forming on his head, unconscious.  
  
"What's going on here?" she demanded in a harsh voice.  
  
"Th-the b-boy was t-trying to escape," stuttered one of the overseers, looking anywhere but her. "I h-heard the d-door rattling and came t-to see what was h-happening." The man seemed unable to go on, so another overseer filled in. "When he came in the boy attacked him and tried to get out. We heard the noise and came to help. We subdued him, but then he started making things fly around the room!" the man shuddered. "He finally exhausted himself."  
  
Zora stared at the boy, her dark eyes boring into his skull. She could feel his Force-supply was greatly diminished. Damn these Jedi "skills", she cursed silently. I'll never be rid of them!  
  
"Chain him," she said aloud. "He won't do any more harm tonight." And then, in a last use of Jedi powers, she raised a shield around Anakin's Force- supply. He wouldn't be able to access it. Checking the shield once to make sure it was seamless, she anchored it.  
  
"No." she said again. "He won't do any harm for a long time." The boy, who was almost unconscious, seemed to gather his strength, and lifted his head to look into her eyes.  
  
In his exhaustion he couldn't hide his feelings. In his eyes, she could see his confusion. He could feel that she was Force-sensitive. But she was a slave trader. And then, in the next moment, he could feel the shield that blocked his Force access. Even in his exhausted state, he could still put two and two together and figure out that she had put up the shield. Only someone Force-sensitive could do that. And only someone trained to use the Force could do it. So she was either a runaway Jedi or a Sith. Zora saw all these thoughts flash through his head, as he came to the same conclusion she did.  
  
Smiling maliciously, she took delight in the confusion her powers had put him in. Well, she thought to herself. At least one good thing came out of being a Jedi. She relished in the fact that he would worry about this for a long, long time. 


	3. The Interrogation

Chapter 3 - The Interrogation  
  
"So what happened?" Zora sighed. Krayn just had to know everything. She decided to answer short and simply.  
  
"The boy went crazy, threw a bunch of stuff around the room, knocked an overseer out, exhausted himself, and was subdued by the other overseers."  
  
"You care a lot about this, don't you?"  
  
"I don't see why one boy trying to escape is so amazingly out of proportion. At least one slave a day tries."  
  
Krayn observed her, seeming to see right into her soul. Zora shuddered. She had forgotten she was bonded to him. He possessed a small token, containing a drop of her blood. With it, he could see if she was telling the truth. He insisted on having one token for every one of the people who worked for him. He claimed it gave him security. Zora satisfied herself with the fact that her token didn't give him nearly as much power over her as it did with the others. And her token, which formed itself to her personality, was a dragon. Very satisfying.  
  
But still, she had to be careful what she said. She hadn't lied, but she hadn't told the whole truth. She still couldn't figure out if he could detect that or not.  
  
Krayn finally stopped staring at her, seemingly satisfying with what he found. "I heard rumors that he didn't just 'throw a bunch stuff around the room.' That he flew things around the room. Literally."  
  
Zora thought fast. She had to be careful what she said. "Flew things around the room? As in, made things fly? Impossible. Yeah, you can make something that's meant to fly fly, like a ship. But make an ordinary bed fly? Impossible." There. Although none of it was actually true, the lies could be blamed on her "ignorance". Zora barely contained a sigh. It was tiring having to plan everything she said around Krayn, but after two years it was getting easier to fool and manipulate him.  
  
Krayn walked slowly around the room, assessing what she had said. "I'd like to believe you, Zora, but it's not impossible. Strange that you, with your brilliant mind, should overlook this possibility." He stared at her again, and Zora belatedly realized that she had never been "ignorant" on a matter before, and Krayn relied on her a reliable source of information. If he suspected something.  
  
But Krayn merely continued. "The boy is a Jedi. You know what a Jedi is, I hope?" he asked, mockingly. For Zora to claim she didn't would open a huge hole in the defensive shield she carefully maintained around herself. No one as knowledgeable as she was could not know about the Jedi. Krayn had purposefully put her in this awkward position. Again, as she had so many times before, Zora wondered how much he really knew.  
  
"A Jedi," she murmured softly. "That explains it." Panicking, she thought wildly. How could she explain her "ignorance"? Jedi were the most known beings in the galaxy, along with the Force. "But the boy is so young. How could he have such great powers? I thought that only the older ones did." Damn! She cursed herself. I know too much. She knew she had better get out of here before she made any more mistakes.  
  
"Look, Krayn, you woke me up before dawn. I got practically no sleep last night, and it's already midnight. If you want me in any condition to work tomorrow, just let me go to bed."  
  
Krayn laughed and let her go, and Zora left the room. His laugh had such a feeling of I'm letting you get away with this that she wondered if Krayn didn't know everything. If he did, why did he allow her to stay? She was about to enter her room, next to his, when his harsh voice stopped her, and turned her blood to ice.  
  
"Zora, how did you capture a Jedi? Why was he all alone, without his Master? And why did he let you capture him?" Zora turned, feigning weariness.  
  
"I found him aboard my ship. He didn't know I had found him, and I had a blaster at his back before he could draw that damn weapon of his." True.  
  
"How did he get on the ship? You never touched down."  
  
"I don't know. I figured that he flew a small ship through the ventilation shaft." True, except that she knew he had.  
  
"Mmm hmm. And then where is this ship? Shouldn't it still be in the shaft?"  
  
"We searched the whole ship and didn't find a ship." True enough. "We.maybe it was on autopilot?" she finished lamely.  
  
"And managed to fly its way through all the twists and turns in the shaft and avoid the gas ejections. Dream on, Zora." Krayn growled, prowling closer, making her feel like a mouse the cat was toying with. "How did the boy get on the ship?"  
  
"I..I told you. I don't know for sure." Oh damn. That's a lie. "Except for the ship, there is no other way, as we didn't touch down." She covered up, barely. Krayn would never trust her again.  
  
"So we come to the conclusion that he entered on a ship. How did you come up with such a far out idea that is the only solution?"  
  
"I." Oh, I'm in for it now. "I think I saw the ship. I'm not sure, it was only a speck on the radar, but I think that's what it was."  
  
"You still haven't answered how the ship got out on it's own." Zora could only keep silent.  
  
"Could it be that he was with his Master, after all. That you failed to capture him?" Krayn's emphasis on the word failed chilled Zora to bone. Still she couldn't speak.  
  
"All right, Zora, I'll ask you a direct question. Was the boy alone or not?" Zora could tell a downright lie, or she could tell the truth, that he was with his Master. Either way, Krayn would find out the truth, and she would be punished for failing to capture him. Lying would only add to her punishment.  
  
By then, Krayn had noticed her hesitation. "He wasn't alone, was he, Zora. He was with his Master."  
  
"I." Zora knew it was hopeless. Krayn had won. "Yes. He was with his Master." She couldn't help feeling that those words had sealed her fate.  
  
Krayn leapt forward in the space of a heartbeat, a whip suddenly in his hand. He kicked Zora's feet out from under her, and she slammed heavily to the ground. She felt the bone in her arm snap. Krayn then whipped her, again and again, until she felt that there could be no skin left on her back. She took it all in silence, refusing to scream, to give him that one last satisfaction, although the pain was unbearable. She felt his hand probing along her belt, and feared the worst. But he only pulled out Anakin's lightsaber.  
  
"I'm sure you were going to give this to me. Perhaps you just.forgot?" He laughed, a harsh sound that grated on her ears. Then his face was right beside hers.  
  
"Don't fail me again, Zora. Or you will beg for death." Then he leapt away with a cat's grace. Zora managed to crawl into her room and shut the door before she fell into welcome darkness. 


	4. Awakenings

Chapter 4 - Awakenings  
  
A consistent stream of light in Zora's eyes finally woke her. She cracked them open a sliver, and saw that it was just past dawn. She was still lying on the floor of her room where she had passed out. Her back burned like fire, and her arm was a stab of pain, like a knife. She couldn't move it, remembered the sound of snapping bones.  
  
What she wanted to do more than anything was crawl into her bed and sleep her life away. Or at least until her back healed somewhat, and her awful headache had left. But Zora knew that if she didn't show up with the slaves Krayn would beat her again.  
  
With this painful knowledge, she struggled to rise. But after one movement of her head, she knew that was a mistake. The world began to spin around, and she lost control of her stomache. All that she had eaten for seemingly days was vomited up, rushing out of her mouth and onto the floor. When she was done, she weakly wiped her mouth and pulled her knees up, resting her head on them. She lost the mature look about her, and looked instead like the young girl she really was. This reminded her so much of another time.  
  
A 13 year-old padawan walked slowly out of saber practice, her head throbbing. She meandered her way toward her room, but the halls were slowly spinning, and she couldn't make it. With a small moan of pain, she sank down against the wall, knees up, hot head resting on them. Her stomache was whirling, fighting her control. Finally, she could control it no longer, and she vomited up her lunch in a violent stream. She couldn't seem to stop. And then she felt cool hands holding her head, stroking her back, a soft voice murmering soothing words. Then she finally stopped, sank weakly back into what she had thought was the wall. But she found herself in her Master's arms. Sobbing, she gave in, for one of the few times in her life, and let her Master rock her like a child.  
  
Snapping out of her reverie, Zora realized with surprise that her cheeks were wet. Furiously, she wiped away the tears. There was no one here to hold her, to comfort her. That was all in the past. Compassion was weakness, a weakness she wouldn't, couldn't give in to. She had to push on. And so she struggled to her feet, pulled off her non-existent, bloodsoaked shirt with one hand, and carefully put on a new one. Then she walked out of her room.  
  
Anakin was also awoken by sunlight streaming into his eyes. He groaned. His head ached abominally, and he was exhausted. All of his Force-work last night had been in vain, yet it had still drained him. Anakin knew he could have escaped. He had feigned weariness - not too feigned, in reality - but then that girl had come. The girl who had captured him. Zora. The name left a bitter taste in his mouth. He still couldn't figure out the mystery surrounding her. She was Force-sensitive, and had been trained to use it. But she was a slave trader! And she had put up the shield, the shield that broke his connection with the Force, with his life.  
  
She must have either been trained at the Temple, and had left the Order, or she was a Sith.  
  
Anakin shuddered. Neither choice was very good.  
  
But she had seemed farmilliar, somehow. Not her face, which was covered in dirt. She probably hadn't bathed in years. Not her voice, or her manner. It was her eyes that seemed so farmilliar. He knew he had seen them before, but he couldn't remember where. Anakin closed his eyes and cleared his mind, as he had been trained to do for years now. He then thought only of her eyes, and let his mind wander.  
  
It brought him to the training yards. Anakin could see that this was right after he had engaged in a fight with another Padawan.  
  
They had both been insulted by each other, over what Anakin could not remember now, but neither had been able to control their anger, and had attacked each other. His Master, Obi-wan, had interveened, sending the other Padawan back to his Master and had spoken quite harshly with Anakin about controlling his anger. Then he had been sent back to his quarters.  
  
The present Anakin wondered why his mind had brought him here. This had nothing to do with Zora. The other Padawan hadn't been her, Anakin was sure.  
  
After several hours of awkward silence, Anakin had broken it.  
  
"Master, have you always been perfect? Didn't you ever get in any fights?" Anakin had known as soon as the words were out of his mouth that they would be construed as rude, and he would be further punished. But Obi-wan had only laughed.  
  
"No, I have not always been "perfect", Padawan. When I was young, younger than you, not even a Padawan yet, there was another apprentice who was the same age as me. His name was Bruck Chun. We were arch-enemies, constanly competing, trying to be the better one. We got in many fights, and for one of them I was temporarily sent out of the Order. Well, it wasn't supposed to be temporary, but then Qui-gon took me as his Padawan." Obi-wan smiled at Anakin. "There, you see? You're not the only one who isn't perfect." Then his eyes had misted over, as they did so often when he looked upon the past. "He turned to the Dark Side," he murmered, almost to himself. "And I killed him."  
  
Anakin had been shocked. A Jedi who wasn't even a Padawan yet had turned to the Dark Side, and Obi-wan had killed him? There was so much about his Master that he didn't know.  
  
But something had still bothered him. "Master, you weren't even a Padawan yet. You're actions could be excused. What about when you were a Padawan?"  
  
Again Obi-wan had laughed. "No, I wasn't a perfect Padawan either. Although," he said with mock severity, "I was better than you. But there was a girl, two years younger than me, who was also a Padawan. We went on several missions together, and to put it lightly, we. clashed." Obi had gotten that faraway look again. "But even though we were so different, we finally saw through that and became friends. Our friendship was a strong one, based on trust." Obi-wan's voice had become sad and flat. "Then, only a year ago, she left the Jedi. She and her Master had an argument, a serious one, and she left the Order." Obi-wan had almost seemed self- accusing. "It still doesn't make sense. She was so devoted. I just don't understand how she could leave." He sighed.  
  
"What. what was her name?" Anakin had been afraid to break his Master's reverie.  
  
"What?" Obi-wan seemed to wake up. "Her name? Her name was-"  
  
Siri. So that's who Zora was. A runaway Jedi. Anakin had looked her up in the databanks, read all the information on her. In some strange way she had intruiged him. And that's where he had seen her picture. She could disguise her appearance, her voice, but not her eyes. Now Anakin was glad he had looked her up. He could search his memory banks for information on her, use everything he had to defeat her. How he had something to work with. Now he had a chance. 


	5. Waiting and Planning

Chapter 5: Waiting and Planning  
  
For Zora, the day passed in a blur. It was a struggle, minute by minute, to keep her composure, let alone consciousness. Her arm hurt like hell, and every time someone bumped into it she nearly blacked out. Every moment was agony. She knew she should go to a healer, but she was afraid Krayn would punish her for it and her pride wouldn't let her.  
  
She had seen Krayn only once that day, and he had simply smiled sweetly at her. She had no idea what she was going to do. She could stay with Krayn, but he would never trust her again. She could leave, change her disguise, find work elsewhere. But she wasn't sure he'd let her go. She knew too many of his secrets. And she knew she wasn't going anywhere while she was injured. So she settled herself down for a long, agonizing wait.  
  
Anakin, after watching Zora and Krayn for the whole day, decided that Krayn didn't know that Zora had been a Jedi. It made sense. He hated Jedi, would never accept one into his service, even if she had cast them out. So he decided that that was the best way to break her. Simply reveal the truth. No complex plots, no intricate plans, lies, truths, half-lies. Simply the truth.  
  
Anakin considered all of the effects his "plan" might have on Zora, Krayn, and himself. First, Krayn may not believe him over Zora. Or he might already know and not care. In that case, Anakin doubted anything would happen. They might kill him, but he was a good worker, so he doubted that. Krayn may cast Zora out, kill her, exile her, just get rid of her in one of many ways. Then she would be gone, and Anakin found himself wondering what good that would do. Perhaps, if she died, his shield would go down. This time, with no one to stop him, he could escape. There was also the possibility that she would reveal him as a Jedi, and then he would be killed. He doubted Krayn wanted a Jedi working for him, even one so young as him.  
  
So Anakin decided that the only way to escape was for Zora to die. He could kill her, but that would be hard. Or he could reveal her, and hope that Krayn would kill her. Anakin sighed. This wouldn't be as easy as he had originally thought.  
  
And then there was the Jedi. Perhaps someone would come to rescue him? It was possible. But he couldn't count on it.  
  
Anakin decided to sleep on it, and watch Zora more carefully the next day. He would see if it seemed at all possible to kill her, or if he would have to be subtler. He hoped he could just kill her. She deserved to die by Jedi hands.  
  
After watching Zora another day, Anakin decided it would be easy to kill her. Although she hid it well, he could tell that her arm was broken. From the way she held herself, she had been beaten recently. She would be in a lot of pain, unable to defend herself well. Tonight, he would be the slave to bring her food, and once he was inside.  
  
Anakin carefully navigated the corridor, not wanting to spill any of the food on the tray he held. He knocked softly on the door to Zora's room, and her harsh voice answered.  
  
"Come!" Anakin entered, carefully pushing the door open. Zora sat on her bed, looking out the window. Her face was hard, but Anakin thought he saw tear steaks on her cheeks. And her eyes, which had seemed so familiar before, were now so full of pain and agony he hardly recognized them. He almost gave in, almost decided not to kill her. She looked so young now, so alone. Without her hard face, she looked like the child she was.  
  
But Anakin hardened himself. She had still left the Jedi, no matter how vulnerable she looks. For that she must die.  
  
Anakin walked to the table in front of the bed and placed the tray on it. Zora seemed not to notice, her eyes staring blankly at something out the window. Anakin chose that moment to strike. He didn't have his lightsaber, only a blunt kitchen knife. He plunged it toward her heart, hoping for a quick death. Jedi did not torture people with slow deaths. If they wanted someone dead, they killed them outright.  
  
Anakin saw the knife raise in the air above him, saw it flash as the light glinted off the silver metal. Then it dove, down, down, his hand aiming on its own, down toward her heart. He saw it near her skin, down, down. Zora still stared out the window, eyes blank. The knife pierced her flesh.  
  
And then, the next moment, Anakin found himself twisted around, the kitchen knife at his throat.  
  
"So," Zora hissed, a girl no longer. "Another one of your Jedi tricks? No, just simply a boy with murder on his mind. Well, perhaps it's a surprise to finally meet someone you can't beat, after being the perfect Padawan for so long." With that, she flung him from her, into the wall. Anakin turned slowly to meet her.  
  
"No, Siri," he answered, watching her flinch at the name. "The only surprise I feel is at finding a Jedi traitor. Most Jedi who chose to leave the Order are at least smart enough not to get caught." Anakin had been hoping to get her mad, so that she would attack and do something stupid. But if anything, his words had the opposite effect. Anakin felt a rush of rage at this traitor, and much as he tried to suppress it, it remained. Siri, on the other hand, simply sighed dejectedly.  
  
"Is that what they call me now?" she asked sadly. Anakin simply stood in shock. She was surprised by this? "The Jedi Traitor?"  
  
"What did you expect when you left the Order?" he asked, scorn overlaying his words. He knew he shouldn't be speaking with her, but she seemed so. naive. Not at all like what he imagined a "runaway" Jedi would be like.  
  
She whirled around so fast he was surprised she didn't fall over.  
  
"Left the Order?" she snarled. "Left the Order? The Order left me. The Jedi abandoned me!" Anakin stood, speechless, unable to think straight. Either she was delusional or what she said was true. And there had been a quiver in her voice, a quiver of unshed tears.  
  
Anakin tried to shake it off, this feeling that she wasn't the rogue Jedi that she should be, but it wouldn't leave. She was in pain, great pain; he could feel it, even though that damn shield was still up. That shield brought him back to reality.  
  
"Lies," Anakin sneered. "All lies. You turned to the Dark Side; deception is your way. You try to sway me with pretty words, but they won't work. I can see past those. You're just a girl who's lost her mommy, and doesn't know what to do. I'd say you were a Sith, but that gives you too much credit. You must be pretty low to partner with a slave trader." Siri had been growing more and more pale as he spoke these words, cutting her like a dagger to her heart.  
  
Anakin continued, enjoying the pain this was putting her through. She deserved to suffer for leaving the Order. He decided that he would torture her first before he killed her. Not physically, but mentally.  
  
"Didn't you think of the pain it would cause when you left? To the Order in general? To Master Yoda, who loves every Jedi like they are his own children? To Mace Windu, just a step below Yoda? To Qui-Gon Jinn? You went on many missions with him. To your own Master, Adi Gallia? Don't you think that this would hurt her? For months after you left she ate little, slept little, and spoke to no one. She nearly killed herself. You would think she would feel angry, betrayed, but she only grieved, and worried about you. And to my Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi? You had a strong friendship; Yoda says the strongest in the Temple. And you just threw it away. He loved you like a sister, and in turn you betrayed him."  
  
Siri was dead white. She could have been a statue. For a moment Anakin feared she wasn't even breathing, but then he saw the slight rise and fall of her chest. Could he have been wrong? Could she really still be a Jedi? Had the Order really abandoned her?  
  
He tried to steel himself against her, telling himself she was just acting, but no one could fake the state she was in. He knew he should kill her now, while she was vulnerable, while he had the chance, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when there was a chance she was a Jedi. He would never forgive himself if she was. And so, not knowing what to do, he simply turned around and left.  
  
Walking back to his room, he lay on his "bed" all night, thinking. He couldn't sleep, not after that. Looking out the tiny window, so small there wasn't a chance of escape, he noticed the moon, shining bright in the sky. It was a pale blue, and it only deepened his depression, his mourning.  
  
In her room, Siri simply stood, long after Anakin had left, staring out the window at nothing. Her mind was numb. She felt smothered, like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes shone bright with unshed tears. The boy. he had done more damage than a thousand swords could. He had taken all the ties to her heart and sliced them in two. Everyone she had ever loved was gone, blown out of her life by the cruel winds of fate. She was alone.  
  
In her window, substantially larger, the moon also shone with an unnatural light. Looking on it, Siri could almost imagine that it lamented for her. As she watched, and Anakin too in his own room, a shooting star fell, streaking across the swollen moon. The moon was crying, and it wept for a girl who had lost everything, laughter, life, and love. 


	6. Confusion

Hey, sorry about the *cough* long wait for this update. School's started, so I don't have much time. all right enough excuses. Thanks to all those people who reviewed, and keep 'em coming!  
  
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Obi-Wan tried not to show his irritation and concern. He was in the Council Room, explaining how Anakin had been taken. He was very worried about him, as it had been several days since he had been captured. And the council was doing nothing. They could have at least let him go after him, but they had insisted that he remain until they came to a further conclusion. For all he knew Anakin was dead, and the council made him stand here recounting what had happened again and again.  
  
"Worried you are, Master Kenobi," a voice broke his concentration. With a start, he realized that they were no longer talking around him. They were talking to him.  
  
"Yes, Master. I am worried about Anakin. He has been gone for three days now, and I fear for how long he will survive."  
  
"Need to worry, there is not," again Yoda seemed infuriatingly calm.  
  
"With all due respect, Master, there is much reason to worry. He is only a Padawan, and if Krayn ever found out that he was a Jedi he would kill him immediately. And Anakin has a hard time hiding who he is. He is too proud."  
  
"Safe, Anakin is." How could he be so indifferent?  
  
"Master-"  
  
"Speak with you privately, I will, Master Kenobi."  
  
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan complied with a sinking heart.  
  
Later that day, Obi-Wan was again in the Council Room, this time with only Mace Windu, Yoda, and, surprisingly, Adi Gallia. Obi-Wan avoided her at all costs. She had been Siri's Master, and it still hurt to think of Siri. She had been closer than a sister, and then she had left.  
  
"Still worried, you are, Obi-Wan," Yoda began. Obi-Wan sighed. Of course he was still worried. Anakin hadn't been rescued.  
  
"Yes, Master."  
  
Mace Windu answered this time. "Do not worry about your Padawan. The Council has agreed that, should you still wish to, you may go to the mines and try to get him out. Although that will not be your only mission there." He exchanged glances with Yoda. Something was going on here. Why were they so sure that Anakin would not be harmed?  
  
"Troubled by something else, you are," Yoda said, snapping Obi-Wan back to the present.  
  
"I." he wasn't about to talk about Siri. It was still too painful. And only Yoda knew how close they had been. As Jedi, they weren't permitted to be lovers, but in a way that hadn't even mattered. They had been more like brother and sister. It became all too clear why Adi-Gallia was here. Obi- Wan closed him eyes, centering himself. When he opened them, Mace Windu was gone.  
  
"Saw someone, you did," Yoda started gently. "Disturbed you, it did." Adi just stared at him.  
  
"It was only a slave trader-"  
  
"You saw Siri," Adi broke in harshly. Obi-Wan tried to block out the pain, but it came anyway, a wave that crashed onto his head. Was she trying to break him?  
  
"Yes." He said through gritted teeth. "I saw her." To anyone else, that would have more than ended the conversation. But not for Adi.  
  
"And I supposed you either glared at her and then tried to kill her or just pretended that she didn't exist!"  
  
Obi-Wan could only stare for a minute. Was she crazy? "What do you expect?! That I walk up to her and start talking, like nothing had happened? Like she hadn't betrayed us all?"  
  
"Betrayed us!" Adi snarled. "She never-"  
  
"Master Gallia, if quiet you cannot be, leave us, you will," Yoda cut in firmly. Turning to Obi-Wan, he added, "Come here to speak about Siri Tachi we did not."  
  
Anakin. Somehow, Anakin didn't matter as much anymore. The boy always seemed to find fault in Obi-Wan, to question him. Obi-Wan had asked himself time and again why the boy had to be his padawan. But Siri had been his closest friend. They had never become lovers, because the Code forbid it, but they were still very close friends. Obi-Wan sighed. He missed her more than he would let on to anyone.  
  
"To the mines you must go, and find your padawan you must," Yoda continued, infuriatingly calm. "More to you mission, there is. Find, you must." Yoda hesitated. Obi-Wan stared in shock, as Yoda always seemed so confident and self-assured with what he was saying. Then he seemed to make up his mind.  
  
"A Jedi undercover we have in the mines. A bad situation, your padawan has made for her. If dangerous for him, the mines become, do her best she will to get him out. Go there, you must, and "rescue" them." Obi-Wan felt the world start to spin. He couldn't possibly mean. "Worked for two years undercover, this Jedi has. High in Krayn's trust, she is. Easy it should be, your padawan to remove. Trust you, she will not. Tell her, you must, that known it is to you that undercover she works." Obi-Wan felt his body going into shock, try as he might to prevent it.  
  
"Siri Tachi is her name." That was the last thing Obi-Wan heard before he went completely into shock.  
  
A/N: sooooooooo what do you think? CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome!! 


	7. Surprise

A/N: Thanks to all of those who reviewed!! I got this one out much faster, and I'm really sorry that it takes me so long, but with school started I don't have much time. I'll try to update as often as possible, and thanks for staying with me!  
  
Chapter 7 - Surprise  
  
Obi-Wan stared out at the view screen which showed that God-cursed planet Anakin and Siri were trapped on. After spending a week in the med center, recovering from severe shock, he was bored out of his mind. But now he wished he was back at the Temple, anywhere but here.  
  
He kept thinking back to the things he had said to Siri, all those awful things he had said to her. She probably hated him now, hated him with a passion. He didn't know if he could face her, and deal with her hatred.  
  
"Master Kenobi," a voice broke his thoughts. "We have landed on the outskirts of this. well, I suppose you might call it a town."  
  
"Thank you, Captain. If it isn't too much of a problem, could you wait here for at least a day or two? Once I find my padawan, we may need a fast exit."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I'll try not to keep you waiting too long."  
  
Obi-Wan waited for cover of darkness before approaching the entrance to the mines. Two guards blocked him from going in.  
  
"I am authorized to enter," Obi-Wan said in a commanding voice.  
  
"You are authorized to enter," the guard answered in a monotone, standing aside. Obi-Wan slipped inside. Once in, he put his hood up. He walked through a dark tunnel, puzzled by the lack of people. Then he came to a huge opening cut in the rock, and he walked cautiously up to it. Looking out over a vast cavern, he saw thousands of workers mining, pushing carts. All of them looked exhausted, malnourished, and some of them had bloody lash-marks on their backs.  
  
Voices began to float down the tunnel toward Obi-Wan, and so he ducked into a dark corner, hoping he wouldn't be seen. Soon, the voices drifted closer and he could understand what they were saying.  
  
"- over a week now, Zora. This Jedi Master wouldn't have let his precious padawan stay here, where he might break a nail. Why isn't he here yet?!" Obi-Wan stood in shock. They knew that Anakin was a Jedi!  
  
"I've told you, Krayn, I don't know. This boy has been a problem since the beginning. Maybe they left him here to die." At that, Obi-Wan's heart nearly stopped. That voice was unmistakably, undeniable Siri's.  
  
"The Jedi would never do that. You will find out where his master is, Zora. You failed me once, and you are coming very close to failing me again. If you recall, last time was rather.unpleasant." The voice became sickly sweet. Obi-Wan felt himself shaking with anger. The way this bastard dared to speak to Siri.  
  
Then he heard the sounds of Krayn's mouth pressing against Siri's, heard her muffled scream as she tried to escape. Obi-Wan closed his eyes, willed himself to stay where he was. If he jumped out, he would give away everything. Then he heard the unmistakable sound of clothes ripping, and heard both their bodies hit the ground. He could hear Siri's sobbing, her screams and attempts to escape. He closed his eyes and focused elsewhere, trying his hardest to remain where he was.  
  
When he finally let himself fully use his senses again, he could tell that Krayn was gone. All he could hear were Siri's muffled sobs. He could stand it no longer. Slipping out of his corner, he saw her, knees pulled up to her chest, crying like she had lost everything. Her naked body was covered with cuts and bruises, and it took everything not to follow that bastard and show him what Jedi were made of.  
  
Walking softly over to her, he took of his coat and wrapped it around her. She jumped up, backing against the wall like a caged animal, tears poring down her face. She looked nothing like the Siri he had known, the vibrant, defiant, brilliant girl he had come to love. Now she looked lost, hurt, like she had nothing left to live for.  
  
"Siri." he murmered softly, afraid that he would scare her. Her harsh breathing was the only sound that broke the silence. For a moment, he saw the lost look leave her eyes, and instead saw a longing, a longing for comfort, love and hope.  
  
"Obi-Wan?" she whispered brokenly, sounding shocked and surprised. Then the mask went back up. Without a backward glance, she fled down the tunnel, leaving Obi-Wan to stare after her with a breaking heart. 


	8. Information

A/N: Wow. It's been a long time. Sorry about that... I kinda forgot about this. But I discovered half a chapter so I got it to a stopping point and decided to post it, hopefully I'll keep writing... ;) I don't really like what I did with the last chapter, I must've been in a dark mood that day. Sigh. Anyways, happy reading ;)  
  
Obi-Wan slipped down the corridors, merely a shadow to all who saw him. He was following Krayn as closely as he could. He needed to find his office, so he could look for some clue as to where Anakin was.  
  
But try as he might to concentrate only on Anakin, he couldn't stop thinking about Siri. Yoda had told him to concentrate first on his Padawan; Siri was older, more experienced, and could take care of herself. But from what he'd seen, that was no longer the case.  
  
Anakin, he said firmly to himself. Concentrate on him...  
  
Looking up, he realized that his body had stopped moving. The tracking skills that were now second nature had told him Krayn had stopped. Looking around cautiously he saw he was outside the door of what appeared to be an office. It was in much nicer condition than the rest of this Sith-cursed place.  
  
He only had to stand outside the door a few minutes longer, as Krayn stormed out soon after. He didn't even bother closing the door behind him. He is overconfident, Obi-Wan thought to himself. I can use that. Slipping into the room, he glanced quickly around. Piles of papers, heaped everywhere. A desk, several chairs. On the wall hung grisly souvenirs from his various slaves.  
  
Taking a quick look at the papers on the desk, his attention was attracted to the top document.  
  
Report. Guard #346582 Slave boy shows strange abilities. Flying objects, people, etc. Request inspection.  
  
Obi-Wan's heart beat a little faster. "Flying objects" could only be caused by the Force. They must be talking about Anakin. Now he had somewhere to start.  
  
He quickly scanned the room, searching for some sort of guard list. He found a map, showing each area of the mines and the guards stationed there. I'll give him one thing, he's very organized, Obi-Wan thought. How very kind of him...  
  
He scanned the map until he found guard #346582. He noted the small area in his mind, tracing the paths to get there. Then his finger stopped, and began to tremble slightly. On the map, on the way to his padawans "room", was marked a room labeled "Zora".  
  
Anakin... the voice murmered in his head, but he couldn't just ignore his old friend.  
  
First get Anakin, then worry about Siri, he finally decided. A partial compromise.  
  
He jumped as a siren sounded. Rushing outside, he saw slaves returning to their rooms. Day must be over. Good, I can get Anakin in a few hours.  
  
Hearing a noise, he lept back into the shadows. Krayn came marching into view, stomping into the office. He opened a cabinet on the wall and pulled out a little statue of a dragon. It was blood red.  
  
"So," he growled at it. "You still defy me, Zora, my little Jedi. I'll teach you not to do that... oh no, you'll soon regret that..." He walked out of the room, chuckling.  
  
Obi-Wan slipped over to the cabinet and opened it, peering in at the collection of statues. All blood red... he'd heard of tokens that could link the owner to the person whose blood they contained, but never actually seen one. So Krayn had one with Siri's blood. That certainly had to be taken care of...  
  
Anakin. Yes, Anakin, his ungrateful padawan. His life. Obi-Wan gave a little smile, then trotted out of the room toward his quarters.  
  
R/R please! :D 


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